This invention relates to a device for use by medical practitioners. More particularly the invention is directed to a disposable pacifier for the purpose of delivering small amounts of sweetener to infants and/or juveniles for sensory diversion during performance of medical examination/procedures.
Various clinical investigations have shown that oral administration of a sweetener such as sucrose or sucrose solution to infants, toddlers, and other juvenile patients during medical examination/treatment has a calming effect that allows the physician or nurse to provide more efficient and effective care. One common practice in hospitals and physicians"" offices is to keep a container of a sucrose solution in the examining/treatment room. A pacifier is dipped into the sucrose solution and given to the patient. To administer additional xe2x80x9cdoses,xe2x80x9d the pacifier is usually dipped back into the same container of sucrose solution and re-administered to the patient. One problem deriving from such usage protocols is patient exposure to bacterial infections. Sucrose solutions provide an excellent medium for bacterial growth and medical treatment facilities inherently provide a multiplicity of sources for bacterial contamination of the sucrose solution and the pacifier used to deliver it to young patients.
According to the present invention there is provided a ready-to-use, single-use pacification device for safe and convenient oral delivery of sweeteners to infant or juvenile recipients. The apparatus comprises a pacifier including a flexible sweetener carrier portion for insertion into the patient""s mouth, a handle portion and a safety flange between the handle portion and the carrier portion. In preferred embodiments at least the flexible carrier portion of the pacifier is sealed in a sterile package with a sterile composition comprising a sweetener for coating the carrier portion. In one embodiment the sweetener composition is in a separate user-disruptible package preferably positioned within the sterile package enclosing at least the carrier portion of the pacifier device. The carrier portion is optimally configured to have enhanced surface area to improve its sweetener-carrier function. In one embodiment a user-disruptible package of a sweetener solution or gel is positioned within a sterile package containing at least the carrier portion of the device. The device can be used by the medical practitioner simply by first disrupting the package comprising the sweetener composition and manipulating the sterile package to coat the carrier portion of the pacifier which is then removed from the sterile package immediately prior to patient administration.
Additional features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments exemplified in the best mode of carrying out the invention as presently perceived.